Carbohydrates include a group of organic compounds based on the general formula Cx(H2O)y. The group specifically includes monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides (sometimes called “glycans”), and their derivatives. Monosaccharides can include hexoses and pentoses. A hexose is a monosaccharide with six carbon atoms. A pentose is a monosaccharide with five carbon atoms.
Carbohydrates are molecules of fundamental importance to living organisms as many carbohydrates serve as a chemical store of energy for living organisms. For example, glucose is a monosaccharide found in fruits, honey, and the blood of many animals that can be readily metabolized by many organisms to provide energy. Glucose also has many industrial uses, including as a feedstock for microbial ethanol production.
Carbohydrates can be chemically converted into higher value molecules. For example, carbohydrates can be converted into fuels or precursors used to produce other compounds. As one example, hexoses can be chemically converted into the hexose derivative 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). HMF can be valuable as an intermediate in the production of other compounds. For example, HMF can be chemically converted into DMF (2,5-dimethylfuran), an important potential biofuel. As another example, pentoses can be chemically converted into the pentose derivative 2-furaldehyde. However, existing methods for these chemical processes can be inefficient, expensive, slow, and non-scalable.